Redemption
by ajmystro
Summary: He broke her and forgot. Now He managed one of the biggest magazine companies in the world. She took the world by storm and went on to be the most successful Editor-in-Chief there ever was. In the end, his only chance of redemption is through her...Haley.
1. Chapter 1

**Redemption **

**AU**_: Hey everyone…_

_This is the new fic I will be writing immediately after JUST YOU AND ME…for those of you waiting for an update to FOR ALL WE ARE, pls be patient with me…_

_Pls review…whether good or bad…I'm kinda hoping for good, though. Lol_

_Enjoy!_

**Prologue: The Lies within your walls**

As she sat in front of the lady sitting behind the receptionist desk, she swallowed her sigh. She had nothing…nothing left except herself. Yes she had Taylor but where was she when you needed her the most.

Then she thought of the things she used to have.

She had a home with loving parents who enjoyed living like hippies. There was never a dull moment in their mist and God did she love them. She was in her sophomore year when she got a phone call that her parents' caravan was sent off the road by a drunk driving, leaving them dead.

Taylor couldn't deal with the pain so she left and decided to roam the world like a real hippie. Her being the responsible girl that she was, decided to stay behind and deal with consequences. Being the geek of THU wasn't the highlight of her year but when she became a senior she decided to let go of the good girl image and introduce her wild side.

Her aunt, who was nothing like her parents, found it rebellious that she was branching out. She got the boys attention from right to left but there was just one that she wanted. And she did have him…not that it was hard.

She used to have Nathan.

"_Well well what do we have here?" he had said when she turned up for one of his beach parties. He had the bluest eyes she had ever seen and she had loved him for as long as she could remember. "You're Haley James, right?"_

_She had smiled coyly at him. Something she had picked up from watching Taylor flirt with all sorts of boys. "And you must be the Nathan Scott, I presume?"_

_There was no denying the intrigue in his eyes. He gave his trade mark smirk that almost made her legs useless. "Let's go somewhere quiet," he had whispered._

"_Why?" she had asked already losing her cool girl persona._

_He had looked quite surprised. "To talk," he had said innocently._

_She doubted it would have anything to do with 'talking' "sure?" she asked softly and his eyes, for a mere second had softened._

"_Hey," he said as he placed his finger under her chin. "You're safe with me,"_

And that was that. That night she lost her virginity to him and not the way she had dreamt she would lose it. When he found out she was a virgin he was mad…so mad that he ignored her for a whole month. She had cried her eyes out every night until he approached her again and asked her to be his girlfriend…after, of course, having sex with her.

But as usual, it came with a clause.

No one was to know that she was his girlfriend because it was a blow to his reputation. Nathan Scott didn't keep girl friends. For a while she was perfectly fine with it until he actually started sleeping with other girls. It was one thing being the girl he hid from the world but it was another when he slept with other girls to her knowledge. She was so scared of losing him that she swallowed it all in and dealt.

If she taught the sadness of losing her parents was the lowest point of her life, being with Nathan was the worse. He ignored her when it pleased him, he turned the other cheek when the girls he hanged with slash slept with insulted her. He never spoke about his family and she sometimes wondered if he listened when she spoke about hers. It got to a point that he only came to her when he was horny and needed a quick shag.

He was destroying her…body and soul and yet she still wanted to be with him. When she thought she would stand her ground, she came crumbling down when he did something sweet like taking her out…even though it was places people would never recognise them. He was like this huge fire engulfing her and she couldn't extinguish him.

That is, until she found out that she was with child.

That was when she knew it was over. She had confided in her aunt and it literally blew up in her face. She called Haley a prostitute and ordered her to leave her house to avoid the risk of spoiling her children. She knew she couldn't hide anymore and had to speak to Nathan so she headed to his beach house where she knew he would be having a party since they had won another match. After asking after Nathan, she was told he was up in his room and on her arrival she knew what he was up to.

She could hear the girl…whoever she was screaming his name and she just felt exhausted. She didn't want to go in yet, so she just leaned on the wall right besides the door and closed her eyes. This was as much as she could bear…she couldn't do it anymore.

For the sake of her heart.

She didn't know she had an audience till she opened her eyes and saw the last person she wanted around her.

"_You're sleeping with him, aren't you?" Brooke Davis had said in a consoling tone that it surprised her. She didn't have to reply because Brooke just shook her head. "You are too fragile for Nathan, Haley,"_

"_I-I love him," she felt do disgusted with her response._

"_I know," she said with an impatient sigh. "Get out while you can because there is no future there for you and Nathan,"_

"_You think I don't know that?" she snapped._

"_So why are you…" Brooke paused because she finally realised. "You can't tell him,"_

"_And why no?"_

"_Because this is Nathan we are talking about," she snapped back. "Nathan doesn't give a flying fuck about anybody except himself," she flinched at Brooke's words because they were true. "You can't expect anything from him,"_

"_I'm not," she said quietly. "I want him to know…so that sometime in the future he would never say I didn't tell him,"_

"_You're going to keep it?" Brooke asked incredulous and she nodded. "Why?"_

"_Because it's my child,"_

That was all she said to Brooke before she left her to deal with Nathan. Facing Nathan hadn't been a piece of cake. She had walked in him giving the girl a doggy and watched as he yelled at her for interrupting him. She watched quietly as the girl left the room fully clothed while Nathan glared at her.

Right there standing in front of him, she began asking herself what exactly it was that attracted her to Nathan Scott. How did she love a man that was so cold and heartless as he was and still tolerated him for what he was? She hadn't wasted anytime in telling him that she was pregnant and his reaction was no surprise.

"_So why the fuck are you looking at me?" he had snarled._

"_I'm looking at you because it's yours,"_

_He gave a heartless chuckle. "Really? Well then you know what to do, don't you?"_

"_Actually I don't,"_

_His icy blue eyes met her determined brown ones. "Don't play dumb…get rid of that shit,"_

_She swallowed the lump in her throat. "No,"_

"_Then fuck it. Graduation is in a month, I'm going to be drafted into the NBA and I'll be damned if you ruin it for me," he said as he started putting on his shirt. "It's simple, James…if you want to be with me, get rid of that thing or…"_

"_Or what Nathan?" she snapped. "Lose you?" she shook her head sadly. "You can never lose something you never had. How can I lose you when I've never known what it feels like to have you, Nathan?"_

"_I've said all I have to say, Haley," he replied coldly._

"_And I've heard you," she said faintly before she walked out of his room._

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

So here she was in Los Angeles, two months after graduating from high school, pregnant and looking for a job.

"Haley James?" the secretary called and she looked up. "You can go in now," she said kindly.

"Thank you," Haley gave her a faint smile. She knocked before going in and he was, looking at a drawing on his desk. She coughed and he instructed her to sit down with his hand. When she did, she couldn't help herself from studying his features. He definitely was a gorgeous man with his short jet black hair and stubble.

He finally sat down and looked up at her with his fierce blue eyes. "Haley James?" he picked up her resume. "It says here that you've never worked in the fashion industry…ever,"

"Yes I know…but I'm a fast learner and prepared to do anything to get the job done,"

"It also said you went to THH and studied law at THU…graduated as valedictorian. That's impressive,"

"Thanks" she said politely.

"So why not go on to law school…I'm sure you got scholarships?"

"Something came up,"

He nodded while looking at her resume. "Okay we'll call you in a coupe of days if you get it," He said and expected her to say her thanks and walk out but her eyes were facing downwards. "Miss James is there a problem?" he looked shocked to see tears from her eyes.

"Please don't think I'm playing the pity card…" She said as she wiped her eyes. "But I need this job so bad,"

"Why?"

She hesitated. "Because I'm two months pregnant and I knew you wouldn't give me the job if you knew but you see, I have no one except my best friend who is also looking for work himself…"

"Miss James I can't do anything until…"

"This is not the first interview I've been to…I have always kept my hope high in thinking I'll get a call,"

"What do you want me to do?" he asked softly.

"I want you to tell me if I have the job or not because setting myself up of disappointment is not good for my baby health and mine,"

He paused for while. "I'll tell you what…if you get it or not, I'll still call,"

"Thank you," she said. "That's all I want,"

"So who is the father?"

"Oh some hot shot basketball player back home," she said causally. "Thank you and I think I'll be leaving now," she got up, shook hands with him and left.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Poor girl," Louisa said as she came into his office. "Shame she would not be getting the job,"

"I'm thinking of giving it to her,"

"Okay I know you have the heart of gold but you have other good candidates,"

"I have to keep an eye on her,"

"Why on earth do you have to keep on her?"

"Because she's pregnant,"

"But she's not the only twenty-two year old pregnant today,"

"I know but the difference is that baby is related to me,"

"Keith what are you talking about?"

"The bastard that got her pregnant was my nephew," Keith said coldly.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Review pls…

Steph!


	2. This is us where are you?

Redemption

**AU**: _Here's_ _another update…_

_If I made silly grammatical mistakes…forgive me…_

_And pls pls pls…don't just add me in you favs and alerts (not that I mind). I know it's stressful but I really need your feedbacks because it inspires me to write and also tells me that you are going along with the story…_

_Enjoy!_

2. **This is us; where are you?**

_8 years later…_

Nathan admired the bright lights of Tree Hill from a balcony while sipping vodka on ice. He had flown in from LA about an hour ago to celebrate with his family on his mother's achievements on the humanitarian works she had been doing for the past twenty years. Tree Hill wasn't as rowdy as LA, something he had gotten quite used to, but it did hold its perks.

He had lived the best years of his life here and had never regretted leaving it behind either. It was one of those decisions one had to make to step further into another level because back then he knew he was bigger than Tree Hill by a long shot.

He sipped from his glass again and gave a cold smile to the wind; he hated being back. He couldn't understand why his mother decided to have a celebratory ceremony in a place they've left behind. But then he smiled; lately his mother has been leaving hints on returning back to Tree Hill because she wasn't happy anymore in LA. Back then when everything was going just how he planned, he wouldn't have given two shits about what she wanted but lately…

Lately she has been the only woman in his life that he could count on…she was the only woman in his life he loved. Deborah Scott was a strong, feisty woman who broke all the rules to prove her point and when she did, she made absolute sure to flaunt it in your face. Back in his short lived NBA days, all he thought about was gaining more points…it wasn't really about the money, the fame or the women that threw themselves shamelessly at him, no…it was about the game. It was all that mattered…no one else did.

"It's weird being back, isn't it?" Nathan turned to see his brother standing next to him. He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn't know when his brother came out to the balcony.

"Yeah," he said and took another sip from his glass. They both had memories, both good and bad, buried beneath these grounds that they didn't wish to relieve. "Never really felt like we left in the first place," he turned to his brother. "I thought you weren't coming, Lucas,"

Lucas gave a low chuckled. "And give the press another reason to question our relationship?" he sipped his vodka. "Dan's going to love that alright,"

Nathan turned and rested his back on the balcony, so he could have a good view on the party. It was a black and white party, just as his mother wanted and it had turned out to be a success. He never thought that the rich and powerful could come down to a small town in South Carolina just for his mother's ceremony and but he was sure it was for the two thousand-a-plate fundraiser included in the event. He saw his mother being the excellent socialite that she was; though he knew she was worrying about other things.

"How is Peyton these days?" Nathan asked as he gulped all his vodka and winced. He had seen her talking with the guests and she seemed to be enjoying herself. He also noticed that Lucas has been quite about her for some time.

Lucas turned around and leaned on the balcony like his brother. "We broke up," Nathan wasn't surprised in the least because it wasn't the first time Lucas had made that declaration.

"How long will it take you guys to get back together?" he asked with a chuckle. He often thought that this was part of their relationship; they'd break up and make up over and over again, like it was a routine. "A week…a month…two months?"

"It's different this time," he commented sadly. He knew that he and Peyton had been breaking up and getting back to getter since high school and that people have always seen that as a routine in their relation ship but he and Peyton both knew that this time it was different. "When are you headed back to LA?" He asked to change the topic.

Nathan picked up on the idea and smiled. "After the party…I have a meeting with the Board tomorrow morning," Being the president to one of the biggest sports magazine company in the world at the age of thirty…wasn't as easy as everyone thought. "We are thinking of starting a spin-off from SM that is going to target the female population,"

"That's quite a stretch," Lucas observed. "I mean SM has always been about men and sports…Dan is going to think you're trying to turn it into Sport-Illustrated by making spin-offs," which was true. SM Magazine as always been targeted towards the male population since it started in the 1900s by Daniel Arthur Scott I, Nathan's great great-grand father. Most critics had in fact called SM a sexist magazine but to their dismay, it has gone on to be the biggest thing to hit the media world. "I know but it would also help to have the women read the bloody magazine!"

"It never bothered you before that not all women in America and abroad read our magazines," Lucas pointed out. He knew Nathan had always loved the magazine and that since he became president he had nurtured like it was his baby but he had never seen him this passionate about it.

"Listen I'm tired of giving flimsy excuses as to why we don't feature women in our magazine. I mean we do but…" He said. "Think about it Luke…half of the population that work for SM are women…I think it would be a good idea to put that to use,"

Lucas observed his brother; he knew Nathan more than he knew himself and he also knew that something was up. "A new magazine is hitting the market, isn't it?"

"And it's driving me crazy!" Nathan groaned in frustration while Lucas laughed. He should have known that the only way Nathan Scott got rattled was when a new magazine hits the stand; be it sports, fashion, real estate…it really didn't matter as long as it was a new magazine. "Sales for SM has not been great this year…it dropped to over 3 last week and if we are not careful it could keep dropping,"

Lucas knew this because the report had been sent to him by Nathan's secretary. "It's Keith's magazine, isn't it?"

They maintained a brief silence before he spoke again. "You know it is the only magazine company in Europe that has the highest amount of working Americans," KHS Magazine, which automatically belonged to his disowned Uncle, has been a bane in the entire Scott empire because SM has been trying to break into the European Market and has always come out second behind them. "Now he is thinking of expanding the company to America,"

"Nathan, we both SM rules the States," Lucas said because it was a fact. "There are other magazines KHS have to beat out of the weekly stands,"

"Lucas, I know that but…" he paused because he himself didn't know why it bugged him that much either. "They are big in the European countries, okay? All of them…France, England, Spain, Belgium and just last month they broke a record in Prague!" he sighed. "We have been trying to break into those countries and have always failed…quite badly actually,"

"We never failed," Lucas said in attempt to calm his brother's nerve. Nathan didn't like feeling nervous…as a matter of fact he never did but they both knew this was different. "We just always came up second…always,"

Keith was a sore topic for them to talk about and it didn't help that he went into a business that always had them fighting for the top. They knew without a doubt that Keith's company wasn't powerful enough to beat the Scott Empire but they all knew that he has a territory they couldn't cross.

"Why does he need to expand here?" Nathan asked as brushed his hands through his thick black hair. "It hasn't got out yet but when it does…the press is going to have a field day,"

"Don't tell me you boys are out here talking about business," Nathan and Lucas turned around to see Deb radiating a black Ralph Lauren gown specially made for her.

Nathan smiled at his mother before walking up to her and taking both her hands in his. "You're looking lovely as always, mother," he said as he kissed her cheeks.

Deborah Scott looked at her son's blue eyes and returned his warm smile. There were so many emotions swimming in those blue eyes and she knew one of them wasn't love. Oh, she knew when he looked at her, he cared…very much but she was afraid that she never taught him the true essence of love. He had once been a bright loving boy but now…now he was as cold as ice and only she could see it.

He squeezed her hands gently. "Mother, you remember Lucas," Deb chuckled and slapped his arm. Of course she remembered Lucas; he was her step-son though they've never been close.

Lucas kissed her cheeks too. "You're looking radiant, Mrs Scott…I see Nathan and Dan have been taking good care of you," There was no awkwardness in their relationship because they had to face the fact that Dan Scott was and still is a bastard.

"Hardly," She joked. She knew she had to get back to the party and entertain but she wanted her son with her. "Lucas, if you don't mind…"

"Not a problem," Lucas said and raised his glass to Nathan, who nodded back and led his mother by arm into the nightmare.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nathan was glad to be back in his LA mansion as he walked lazily into his room and sat on his desk chair. There were so many contract documents and proposals on his desk that needed his attention but he didn't have the energy for them at the moment. He took his tux, threw it on the bed and listened to his voice messages.

"Mr Scott," it was Gemma, his English secretary. "Just to remind you of your meeting with the Board tomorrow and that you are scheduled to leave LA for Chicago for the Oprah Winfrey show at noon," Nathan closed his eyes in frustration; he had forgotten about that one and he immediately made a mental note to increase Gemma's salary.

"Hey Nate!" It was his best friend Chase Adams. "What are you doing this Saturday…I've got courtside tickets to the Lakers game," Nathan chuckled lightly because Chase has always hated watching a basket ball game alone. "Listen call me when you get back, okay…and tell your mother I said congratulations,"

"So Hot shot how was Tree Hill?" Nathan smiled coyly when he heard, 'Friends with Benefits', Carrie Anderson's voice. "Sorry I couldn't come. I was so caught up with work and the likes, you know…" Yes he did know. She must have had a date with another actor or director to help keep her in the spot light. Not that being a multi-million dollar actress was enough for her. "Call me when you get back…I've been feeling a little tight, if you know what I mean…" she ended the call with her famous laugh and felt his glands stirring…as always

After having a shower and getting dressed in just his shorts, he got into bed and turned on the plasma television on the wall directly in front of him. It was on ESPN, like always, and they were showing an old game by the Chicago Bulls.

It wasn't easy for Nathan to watch any basket ball game, be it the NBA or College tournaments, without feeling a huge amount of regret. He had been one of them, living the dream…just playing the game he loved.

He was good…period. There was no question about it. Nathan Scott took the NBA by storm when he was drafted into the Los Angeles Lakers. He would have been drafted from High School but he was a Scott and Scotts' go to college, where he also dominated. Everyone wanted a piece of him and he had everything a man could ask for; a good management company, money, women, fast cars…everything!

But it all came crashing down one night. It took one night to destroy everything he had worked so hard to achieve…one night took away everything he deserved.

He remembered it like it was yesterday

They had just won their match against the Bolton Celtics and were headed for the playoff semi-finals. He had gone out to celebrate with his friends but that night had turned really dark when he was driving home drunk and sent his car off the road. That day America had stood still as they waited to hear if Nathan Scott had died…and probably a part of him did die that night. He left the accident with all his ribs broken, both legs dislocated, massive injury on his face, broken shoulder blades, some internal injuries that affected his vital organs and a supposed brain damage.

No one ever believed that he would still be alive after that but he was a fighter. He was in coma for three weeks before he woke up and found that he had lost most of his memory. It took a while to remember his parents and brother and then his basket ball career but the doctor had told him that he would eventually get all his memories back. Another problem aroused when the doctors announced to him that he wouldn't be able to use his legs again because of complications from his spinal cord.

He was twenty-six and for the first time in his life, Nathan Scott was scared. He had just found out he had amnesia and would probably never use his legs again and for the first time he didn't know what to do. He had seen Dan's face and it wasn't filled with concern, no…all he saw was disappointment; and that was when Nathan knew he was never going to give up.

It took about five months for him to be discharged from the hospital and was assigned a personal nurse to help him with his physical therapy. He worked hard everyday…pushed himself to the limit until he took his first step. That day he felt like a child being given his first toy and the excitement and encouragements from his family helped him more than he thought. Even when he started walking and running again, the doctors told him it would be quite dangerous going back to basket ball again because his legs didn't have the strength it once held.

Nathan didn't fall back because he wouldn't let himself sulk…he wasn't going to let himself be that kind of man. He decided to go into the family business and after learning the ropes, the company was handed over to him at the age of twenty-eight.

Now here he was, the president to a multi-billion dollar empire at just thirty-one and most times he loved it. But the truth was he would trade his success in a heart beat if he ever had a chance to play again.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Meanwhile…_

_Paris, France…_

_9:00 am_

Usually when a woman turned thirty, it was time for reflection, for taking stock, for not only being scared that middle age was coming closer and closer before you had any chance of stopping it but to also reflect on your accomplishments.

Haley James was trying to.

At twenty-two, she got herself knocked up by a bastard and had to hide that fact for two months so she could be valedictorian. Tree Hill University wasn't the kind of school you could screw up and get away with it. She left Tree Hill with her best friend, Jake Jageleski and headed to Los Angeles where she became an intern with KSM; it wasn't really big but she loved it. Seven months later, she gave birth and it was one of the high lights of her year. Then she almost lost her job when Keith Scott, the owner, announced he was closing the company because he couldn't find anyone to sponsor his magazine.

At twenty-three, she found herself in France as Keith's personal assistant and his business companion as they pitched their magazine ideas to a lot of French business men and had met the prince of Monaco in the process. Her twins stayed with Jake in America until she and Keith were settled in France, so they could come over.

By the time she was twenty five, she was a mother of two and working for a magazine company called KHS. Though it hadn't been easy seeing as it took them two years to get to their success, she made a lot of sacrifices to make the company what it was; not just for her but for Keith too. There was so much pressure on him by the press and their sponsors for progress because he was once a part of the Scott Empire that seemed to dominate the world. Before they came into the spotlight, they had to make their first issue a success because they knew that if it failed, their sponsors including the prince of Monaco would eventually pull out. So they worked countless hours to pull dead lines and when the first issue of their magazine hit the stands…it was great.

It met so many positive reviews and became one of the best selling weekly magazines in France. But they didn't sit back and relax; rather they kept pushing themselves, working harder than before to make sure they went all the way up while at the same time never looking down on the people that had helped get them to their position as the number one magazine in France.

Now Haley James was a single mother of two, a Part owner and Editor-in-Chief to a multi-billion dollar magazine company and she was tired. She was tired because not only was she turning thirty, she had to get up and do what she had been doing for the past eight years…work. Before she could toss the covers aside and get out of bed she felt a weight on her bed and knew instantly what was going on. So she waited for a minute before coming out from under the covers and dragging her children to her while giggling at the same time.

"Happy birthday, mama!" they said happily as the kissed her cheeks.

Haley beamed and pulled them into a warm hug. If there was an accomplishment Haley James would always be proud of; it would be her seven year old children…any day. "_Oh mes bebes…merci! Mais votre maman vieillit!" Oh my babies…thank you! But your mama is getting old._

Zoé, her younger, gasped in sheer astonishment which made Haley laugh. "_Non maman! Vous regardez tres sexy!" No mama! You are looking very sexy!_

"_Et attrayant. Serieusement la maman, si vous n'etiez pas ma mere je vous epouserait dans un battement de coeur," And attractive. Seriously mama, if you were not my mother I would marry you in a heart beat._ said Jamie, her oldest and a carbon copy of his father; except for his sandy blond hair.

Haley rolled her eyes and pulled her children closer to her again. _"Mon Dieu! Vous etes les enfants vrais de votre pere," My goodness! You are the true children of your father_. Which Haley hated to think was true.

Jamie Jacob James was a strong and charming boy with sandy blond hair and radiant blue eyes that reminded Haley of his father while Zoé Lydia James was a feisty and equally charming girl with jet black hair and her mother's brown eyes. They have both been dubbed by the French press as '_Le prince et la princesse de la dynastie de KHS'_, much to Haley's amusement. She hadn't meant for her children to be brought to the spotlight but it was inevitable when their grandfather and their mother were one of the richest in France behind the royal family.

"_Maman_," Zoé called, snapping Haley from his thoughts. Her little girl was now cosied up in her arms as she relaxed on the back board of her king sized bed while her son sat crossed legged in front of them, looking too matured for his age. _"Jamie et moi ont décidé qu'il n'y aurait aucun travail pour vous aujourd'hui," Mama, Jaime and I have decided that there would be no work for you today._

"_Vraiment?" really?_

"_Oui! En fait j'ai confisqué vos clefs de voiture," Yes. As a matter of fact I have confiscated your car keys._ Jamie said.

" _Tous!"_ _All of them_. Zoé whispered dramatically in her mother's ear and was delighted when Haley gasped.

Haley wasn't exactly crazy about her children becoming crafty like their Uncle Jake. _"Non! Mais que'est que je ferai sans mes clefs de voiture?" No! what will I do without my car keys?_

It was also scary when her children wore the same smirk on their face. _"Exactément!" Exactly!_

They were trying to make her stay at home with them; something she always loved doing but she couldn't this time because she had a deadline to meet and several meetings including one with the magazine investors. Haley had stopped her days of being a workaholic where she would have more time for work and less for her children but it was different now. She was in a position where she can choose when to come in for work but she has never taken advantage of it.

"Honey you know I have to be in for work today," she said apologetically to her twins who were already sulking.

"But it is your birthday today," Jamie argued with the stubbornness he seemed to have possessed from his parents.

She knew he was right. It was her birthday and Keith and Jake had warned her not to step her feet into the office till the next day. "Okay…just give me five minutes on the phone with Michel and we'll go out and do a little shopping,"

Zoé gasped in horror. "Really mama? But we always do our shopping on zee last day of zee month," Zoé's French accent tend to creep up each time she was rambling; either in a scary or nervous situation…like now. "What will I do wiz my hair…mama, Marie iz not here yet!"

Jamie raised an eyebrow at his sister's tantrums. Really, who would ever think they were twins. "Zoé," he called dryly. "You are naturally beautiful," True…so was he and thanks to parental genes.

"Of course I know that Jamie," she said confidently to her brother while rolling her eyes at the same time. "But it doesn't hurt to look extra beautiful, right mama?"

Haley kissed her daughter's cheek and smiled down at her. "Right, _mon amour_…get me the phone baby, would you?" she said to Jamie who obeyed immediately. She turned to the door when she heard the soft knock.

"_Bonjour Madame,"_ Freddy, their long-time butler said as he came in to the room, carrying her breakfast on a tray.

Haley smiled at him. _"Bonjour Freddy,"_ he placed it on her lap after she adjusted and smiled at him again. _"Merci!"_

"_Je devrais commencer par dire, Madame, que vous semblez plus jeune chaque anneé…est lá un secret á lui tout?" I should start by saying, Madame, that you are looking younger every year…is there a secret to it all?"_

Haley shook her head with a smile playing on her lips. Everyone was trying to butter her up before she had a chance at sulking about the fact she's getting old.

"Nice try, Freddy," she said to him, who laughed as he left the room before she took the phone from Jamie. She smiled when they started making her breakfast for her while she waited for her assistant to pick up the phone.

"_Nous vous aimons , la Maman," We love you, mama._ They said to Haley who already had tears swimming in her eyes.

"_Je t'aime aussi," I love you too. _Because quite truthfully she did love them with every beat of her heart

And so did they

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nathan's meeting with the share holders and his interview in Chicago went well. Now he was glad to be back in the office doing some important work. Ever since losing basket ball, his only source of getting through it was the magazine. Though he was the president and wasn't expected to do much but to over see the magazine and be the face of the company, nothing left the building without his authority and his approval.

Now he was surrounded by his secretary, Editor-in-Chief with his assistant, publisher, creative designer, and the other ten were writers for the magazine. The meeting was going just like he expected it to go; you come in with you proposal, if it was crap, it gets tossed into the trash can. So everyone sitting down knew the stakes were high and that they had to show they deserved to work in the company.

"Tony," Nathan snapped the twenty-two year old sport writer out of his stupor. He was a very nervous kid fresh out of college but Nathan knew a potential when he saw one. "What have you got for me on the Charleston high school basket ball game with Oakland?"

"Um…right," he couldn't believe that Nathan Scott knew his name and didn't think for a second his story was going to make the cut. "Well Oakland won the game by 100-86 but Charleston had potential players," Nathan smirked when he saw the excitement in Tony's eyes. "Chad Richards from Charleston was a very good point guard even though the crowd favoured the shooting guard, Harry Collins,"

"Then get Chad Richards and the entire team from Oakland in for an interview tomorrow," Nathan said to the utmost surprise of his Editor-in-Chief and the rest of the writing staff. "I need it out on next week's issue,"

"Um…sir," Tony choked out because this was huge…this was going to be his first report for the magazine. "We don't usually cover high school basket ball,"

"Well now we do," the idea of having a section in the magazine about high school basket ball had been on his mind since he got back from Tree Hill. "Gretchen Santos!" the Latino brunette snapped up immediately. "You're in charge,"

"Of…of what, Mr Scott?" she asked nervously as she picked up her note pad to jot down anything that could be useful before he fired her.

"I want you to create a team of about eleven and have them report on every high school game in the country; it doesn't need to be just basket ball…I need football matches, soccer, swimming," he paused when he saw everyone looking at him like he was crazy. "Have I got something on my face?"

Gemma spoke up when there was a chorus of 'no'. "It's a bit odd sir," Nathan knew he definitely had to give his secretary a raise. "We only cover college games and the other ones,"

"I agree, Nathan," Harry Edison, the Editor-in-Chief voiced out. "If we start changing our magazine to that of the likes of Sports illustrated and the others…our value would pummel,"

"Do you think so?" Nathan said. Harry Edison was a sexist to the last 'T' and it was Dan who originally employed him to his current post. They didn't like each other because Harry considered himself worthy of taking a shot at the presidential sit since his father held the highest share to the company…though not higher than Dan Scott's.

Harry stood his ground; like he always did. "This magazine has been built upon various moral grounds," Nathan and the other were very tempted to roll their eyes at his speech. "If we start imitating…"

"We are not imitating, Harry," Nathan cut sharply through his crap. He knew Harry only saw him as a pretty face used to sell the magazine but he wasn't going to let him or anyone think he was stupid at his job. "We are simply growing out of our bloody shells and waking up to the future," he continued before Harry had a chance of speaking again. "Lory Gilmore…"

"Yes Mr Scott,"

He smiled at the intern. "I read your proposal and I must say I found it interesting,"

"What proposal?" Harry asked snobbishly because he would rather die than consider anything an intern has to say…let alone a female intern.

"Lory thought it would be a good idea for us to create a spin-off," this sent the office into frenzy and Nathan saw how insecure and nervous Lory was getting. "Like I said…" Nathan snapped and the office was silent again. "I found it interesting. My brother also read your proposal and I think I might actually do it,"

"What?" was what came out of everyone's lip.

"I think the spin-off is a great idea,"

"Need I remind you that I am the Editor-in-Chief of this magazine?" Harry raged, regardless of the other members in the meeting.

"And you don't seem to be doing your job right," Nathan bit back and turned back to his workers. "Grace, I want you in a team with Lory and I need you guys to come up with ideas and lady stuff…give me something that would sell,"

"Yes sir," Grace and Lory were surely happy because now they could relax in an area they knew well.

"Gemma, what's last item on our agenda?" Nathan asked easily because the meeting was coming to an end and he could now head out to meet Chase.

"KHS Magazine is set to hit the stands this spring," she read out and Nathan felt that chip on his shoulder each time he heard the name 'KHS'. "A press release was announced this afternoon,"

"You all know KHS," Nathan asked as he sat back on his swivel chair. "Adam! Tell me about it,"

Adam adjusted his half rimmed glasses and spoke out. "Um…they are the highest grossing weekly magazine in European at the moment since they broke out in 2003. Apparently it was rumoured that the current Prince of Monaco has investments in the magazine,"

"Is that all?"

"No," he looked at Nathan nervously. "The owner and President of the magazine is Keith Scott but the company, they say, is run by the ice princess,"

"The ice princess?" Nathan chuckled. "Who is she and why would they call her that?"

"Her name is Haley James and apparently she has a little phobia for men especially in anything concerning business," Adam said and smiled when everyone laughed. "She is the Editor-in-Chief and nothing moves without her approval…it is said that she is having an affair with Keith Scott, hence her power over the company,"

"You know I was thinking that you'd go on a date with me, Harry," The entire members of the meeting laughed at Nathan's joke except Harry…obviously.

"But what is the truth?" Harry ignored Nathan and asked.

"No body knows the truth," Adam said. "All the French press know is the fact that he does adores her and her two children,"

"A single mother I see…" Nathan murmured cynically with a smirk. He shouldn't have been surprised; Keith couldn't resist women used and dumped by other men…but eventually he would leave her and sort another. Lucas's mother was a victim. "Well I know they are no threat to us and we shall prevail in the end…meeting adjourned, ladies and gentlemen,"

Once everyone had left Nathan turned to Gemma. "Get me Haley James office on the phone…If she's not around drop a message,"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Paris…_

Haley legs were killing her from all the shopping she had done with Jamie and Zoe at Saint-German-des-Prés and Saint-Ouen Flea market. They dragged her from store to store but it was all worth it each their eyes light at something they liked.

"Grand papa!" she heard her children scream as they raced into their seven hundred thousand euro apartment. She smiled at Freddy who helped her out of her Chanel coat and walked into her living room to see her children speaking lively with their Grand father.

"Mama, come see what Grand papa got you and me," Jamie called as he took her hand and pulled her further into the living room. "A diamond necklace and diamond ear rings…Grand papa said the ear ring is mine, mama," Zoé declared proudly.

"And look mama!" Jamie said with so much euphemism that it melted her heart. "He got me my own personal ID card to the office…can you believe it?" Yes she could. Since she could remember, Jamie had always voiced his dream of working with both she and Keith…especially with Keith.

"I can see that, sweetie," she turned to the man sitting between her children. "Another diamond, Grand pa Keith?"

Keith stood up and kissed her cheek. "I will spoil my Grand children any way I choose. You all deserve it," because they all did. Haley was the daughter he never had and he was proud of her and her children…her children who called him Grand papa.

"Great," she said sarcastically. "Give the press another reason to think I'm sleeping with you,"

"Silly, isn't it?" he said and turned to the kids. "Okay kids…why don't you go up stairs and I'll be with you shortly,"

"Promise?" Zoé asked.

He smiled at her. "Promise," The children had brought so much joy to him that he would gladly spoil them in any way he could. "You must be tired," he said to Haley, who flopped down lazily on her sofa and kicked off her new Marc Jacobs hills.

"Your Grand children definitely did not inherit their energy from me," she said jokingly as Keith sat opposite her and crossed his legs. He really was a handsome man with jet black hair that had stints of grey appearing and radiant blue eyes, the Scott seem to own. "Thanks for getting Jamie the ID…now he's going to want to visit the office constantly,"

"He should want to," Keith said arrogantly. "The company will eventually be his after you retire…we both know, you're practically the President and thank God we didn't create a Vice post,"

"Which is weird, isn't it?" Haley said between their laugh. "How is Rosa?" Rosa was a famous French designer that Keith was having a scandalous affair with…so said the French tabloid. "Oh no…" Haley murmured drily when she saw Keith avoiding her eyes. "You know Keith, you're far too old for this bad boy image…seriously, and it hasn't even been up to a month,"

"My dear, as I always say," Keith almost always spoke with such flair that it was quite intriguing. He smiled. _"Il n'y aucan regret dans l'amour bien pris et donné," There is no regret in love well taken and given._ He said and gave her one of his cheeky grins that told Haley he was really never going to change.

"I see where my son is getting his smooth tongue from," She admitted with a smile. She did wish she could stay a while before going into business but it couldn't wait. "A press release was sent out today and so I've decided to launch the magazine this spring,"

"Christmas is in a few months and you know how busy it's going to get by then," Keith said patiently. He knew that Haley had been working her butt off for the magazine and that she was also nervous about the magazine launching in America but he wished she'd rest a bit before plugging herself into work.

"SM is branching out of its shell and my sources tell me that they are thinking of creating a spin-off to target the female population," she breathed out. "I'm scared of branching out and watching us fall. Keith we have worked so hard for this…"

"And we are going to make it in America. There is nothing Nathan can do to stop that from happening," Keith reassured. He knew Haley like the back of his palm and he also knew that the topic he was about branching into was still shaky. "You'll be going to LA for a month in December to promote the magazine and you know the children would be coming with you…"

"I know…" She really did know.

"Zoé saw him yesterday on TV and all she could talk about was how it be like to meet her father," Keith wasn't happy about it either. Years ago he, Haley and Jake had decided to tell the children who their father was and though it was hard, they also had to explain quite clearly why he wasn't with them. Jamie had understood and decided on the fact that he didn't need Nathan in his life anyway since he had Keith and Jake but Zoé had Haley heart and she wanted so desperately to meet him…even if it was once. "Maybe this is how it should be,"

"Not if I can help it," she said stubbornly. "I'm not ready to have Nathan Scott in my life again,"

"But this isn't about you, is it?" Keith said and watched his daughter's eyes glass over. "There are some things in life, Haley, that can't be stopped no matter how hard we try,"

She knew and that scared her.

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_Please Review_

_Steph!_


	3. This is where we are

Redemption

_Hi guys!_

_Here's another update_

_Enjoy!_

**AN:** _If I made silly grammatical mistakes…forgive me…_

_And pls pls pls…don't just add me in you favs and alerts (not that I mind). I know it's stressful but I really need your feedbacks because it inspires me to write and also tells me that you are going along with the story…_

3. **This Is Where We Are**

_Paris…_

KHS office was meticulously built on an open space that gave one of the most beautiful scenes in Paris if one was lucky enough to work on the top floors. The office has also been successfully placed as one of the must see buildings second to Chanel for the tourists.

It was a glass building with forty floors and over 342 offices. Its workers are estimated to be over a thousand in Paris alone and over fifteen hundred abroad to boot. The fortieth floor belonged to the President while the thirty-ninth floor was the Head Office, where the Editor-in-Chief's office and Creative department resided.

Haley James knew that moment she set her foot into the Head Office; it was going to be chaos. It was like being smashed upon by a crazy mob when in fact, the crazy mob where her employees trying to suck the life out of her before she could even get to her office.

See how it happens; there would always be someone from the creative department waiting at the first floor so that the moment Haley's car pulls up at the front, he or she calls back the Head Office to enable the others prepare for her arrival.

She was greeted like royalty the moment she stepped out of her car so as she got into the elevator she took a deep breath and let it out. In about five minutes, she was going to be bombard with all sort of questions so she did the one thing that made her the most sort after Editor-in-Chief in the world; she sucked it in and got ready for war. The elevator made the 'Ting!' sound and the doors opened…

"Haley! Thank God you're here,"

"Haley! We have a problem wiz Luc…hiz being a drama bitch again!"

"Haley! I've got a new story…how about sex on the Eiffel tower…think about it,"

"I've been calling Jake all day, Haley…and he's not picking up his phone! What do I do?"

"Do you want this cover or this cover for next week's issue?"

These were the few questions that actually made it to Haley's ear while the rest were just part of the chaos.

"Okay, mob squad!" Michel, her secretary slash PA and life saver snapped loudly. "She just got here…back off!"

Haley really tried to hide her smile at the glacial expression on the entire staff. She made a soft sound from her throat. "Thank you, Michel…"

"You're welcome honey…zis people will never learn!" Michel said as she glared right back.

Haley smiled at her impatient staff. "Okay I want the teams in for this morning's meeting and Lorenzo, no sex in the Eiffel tower, please," she had given him an assignment to find a new topic for their feature spot on the magazine and she knew he had worked hard for that one. "Aimeé call Bernard to fill in Jake's spot…and do we really need Luc for that photo shoot?" there was a chorus of 'No' "Good…find me a man with blond hair and a hot body within the hour…" Two people left the floor immediately. "Tony, meet me at the meeting with those covers…" she said and walked into her office.

Michel stood in front of the Haley's office and glared. "Back off!" she snarled, daring them with her eyes to come any closer.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Haley watched her team come in as she was about ending her call with one of their distributors.

"Okay people let's get down to business," Haley said with the clap of her hands. She was sited in front of them while they formed an arc shape with their chairs. "Let's talk about tomorrow's issue…Tony I don't like to see an anorexic model in front of my magazine,"

"That's her true figure," Tony was a Brazilian photographer Haley employed after seeing one of his works.

"And I'm naturally blond," Cat, Haley's creative manager said sarcastically. "The girl barely eats…she needs help,"

"And she'll get it," Haley said. "Get another model and get Dr. Elmaleh on the phone," she said to Tony before moving on to the next agenda. "Michel what do we have next?"

"Sex," she said and caused everyone to laugh. It was a section in their magazine that discussed everything that had to with sex…everything.

Haley chuckled. "Okay, how many of us had sex yesterday?" and all hands went up. "Well my life officially sucks as of today…thank you very much," they all laughed again. "Renault, you're the biggest man whore in the room…tell me what you are going to do for the page,"

"Well I was thinking sexual positions,"

"Oh God,"

"What iz it going to be zis time? '69'?"

"Come on guys," Haley scolded jokily with a smile. "Renault is the only one willing to write about sex for the magazine without blushing,"

"Thank you, Haley," Renault said and carried on. "I was thinking of sex after marriage…you know, talk about how to improve zee sex"

"That could work…but it's been done some many times," Haley said. "How about writing this on a four page spread? I want you to write about sex before and after marriage and then talk about the improvements," Haley smiled at the idea. "I'm going to need this for next week's issue…make it about six thousand words…and I'll need to see the models for the feature,"

"What about the story on Olympique Lyonnais FC? we were meant to cover them for next week's issue," Henry Pierre from the sports team asked. "I just got off the phone with the club manager and he said we've just today to make it,"

"Okay then, get André and Laurent to head over there immediately," Haley said to Henry who registered her instructions. "And who's in charge of the Basket ball game between ASVEC Lyon-Villeurbanne and Cholet Basket tonight?"

"Jacques will be going," Henry said as he adjusted his glasses. "I know he was a little bit harsh the last time but he gets the work done,"

"Listen, we do not run a sports magazine," Haley said. "We have a sports section where we tell the readers what really happened at the game," the sport section is a part of the magazine that gives the reader a behind-the-scene look at the games. "Jacques is more of a critic…"

"I assure you that it will not happen again," Henry pleaded.

"Good. Michel please tell one of the interns to get us more coffee," she said to her PA. "We are going to be here for a while,"

And they were.

After an hour of meeting, Haley was finally free to focus on other matters on hand. She knew that in thirty minutes she was going to go down to the publishing company to settle a few financial matters.

Haley took her eyes away from the feature she was reading when her phone rang. "_Oui_ Michel?"

"Jake is on line one?"

"Yes, please put him through," Jake, her best friend of over eleven years was calling her from Italy and she was mad at him because he left without a word. "Jake?"

"Uh oh," She couldn't deny the joy she felt from hearing his rusty voice caused by his excessive smoking. "I think I'm in trouble,"

"You've got that right, Jackass!" She smiled nonetheless. "When are you coming back from Italy?"

"When you stop being mad at me,"

"Really Jake…when are you coming back?"

"The women in Italy don't want me to leave,"

She sighed on the phone and shook her head. She had almost forgotten he was a man whore. "Your god-children miss you,"

She knew he was smiling. "I'll come back when I've grown tired of Italy,' and that was true. Jake had a past that he ran away from and Haley understood that more than anyone but in her case she sort of dealt with it; Jake on the other hand seemed to brush it aside instead of getting through it.

"Come home soon," She still tried to convince him. "I don't care if you're tired or not,"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Nathan raised his head from a document he was reading and smirked at Carrie Anderson as she strolled seductively into his office, wearing a very short gown that cling to every part of her body.

"You forgot to call me," she said smoothly as she came around his table and placed her bum on his desk. The truth was that Nathan hadn't forgotten to call…he just couldn't be bothered.

Nathan chuckled. She really was a beauty but it was a real shame that the only thing that he found attractive about her was her body. Nathan Scott has come to a conclusion that he was one of those humans who were born with the inability to love…it's true…ask his father.

"Don't you have some boy-toys to be with?" He asked as he went back to what he was doing but was interrupted when she pushed his chair away from the desk and sat in front of him. "Those documents are important…"

"Not as important as what I'm going to do to you," she said in a quiet tone that Nathan felt his blood boiling. She knew it took a real woman to get Nathan Scott turned on because she had studied him meticulously; he wasn't like every other man.

But before Nathan had the chance of taking her on his desk, Chase waltzed in like he owned the place and came to a screeching halt.

"I'm sorry," he said with an unapologetic smile on his face. "I though this was Nathan Scott's office,"

"Nice to see you again, Chase," Carrie said as she slid herself from the desk and away from Nathan. "How long has it been?" she picked up her bag and walked past him.

"Not too long, unfortunately," he gave her a cheeky grin when she gave him the finger, blew Nathan a kiss and shut the door behind her. He turned to Nathan. "Dude, are you serious?"

Nathan was finally able to breathe. "You scared the shit out of me…I thought it was Dan or worse Harry," those were two people on earth he didn't want seeing him in that position at all…ever.

Chase took off his coat, threw it on one of the sofas and then went on to join Nathan at his desk. "Why is Carrie Anderson still your sex buddy?"

"Because she is one of the women I know that has mastered the act of keeping her mouth shut," He said while pretending to be busy. "What are you doing here? Don't you have someone else to bug?"

Chase met Nathan while in college and he knew that his friend was not the man everyone thought him to be. Nathan Scott was cold and meticulous and most times Chase wondered why they were friends. Maybe it was the time Nathan bailed him out when he was in debt or the time Nathan saved him from a girl that tried to pin her pregnancy on him.

"You said a lot of crap on Oprah," Chase said.

Nathan paused. He should have known that Chase would spot his lies to the queen of TV talk shows. "There's no use knowing the truth when they don't give a shit," he dropped his pen on the desk and stretched. "I gave America what they wanted and they ate it up as always,"

"This just means…"

"This just means that I'm good at what I do," Nathan said smugly and dialed Gemma. "Gemma, can you come in for a second?"

"Yes sir,"

"I asked you to get me Haley James's office," He said to Gemma when she came into his office.

"I did sir but her secretary said she wasn't in…so I dropped a message," Gemma said. "Do you want me to try again?"

"No. Just get me through to KHS immediately," Nathan said. When she had connected him to France he picked up the phone. "Bonjour…um…desolé, mais je parle français un peu…"

"I speak English, sir," the receiver was female with a strong French accent and she sounded too jolly for Nathan's liking. "How may I help you?"

"Yes. May I be connected to the Editor-in-Chief's office?" He asked and shared a smirk with Chase who was looking through a file he found on Nathan's desk.

"One minute please sir…" Nathan and Chase chuckled at the French song being played while they waited. "Hello, Haley James's office…How may I help you?"

Nathan smothered his laughter. "Ah yes…I would like to speak with Haley James,"

"Sorry but Miss James has gone home for the day,"

Nathan chuckled at this. "She has gone home for the day…really, this early? It's still morning,"

"Where are you calling from, sir?"

"America…Los Angeles actually,"

"Then need I remind you that there is a nine hour time difference between Los Angeles and Paris," That seemed to shut Nathan up and Chase couldn't hold the snigger that escaped his lips. "Who may I say called?"

"Nathan Scott from SM magazine,"

"Okay sir, I will make sure to inform Miss James that you called,"

"Good," Nathan said and ended the call. "It really wasn't funny,"

"Yes it was," Chase said between his laugh. "Who are you calling?"

"Frank Lumer," Nathan said. "He's some man I know,"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Haley walked through the doors of her apartment and was greeted by her little girl who jumped into her arms.

"Mama, you're home," Zoé said and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek. "Guess what?"

"What?" Haley said as she handed her bags to Freddy and carried Zoé into the living room area.

"I've been selected to represent the school in the LSC," LSC was the Lambert Swimming Competition that consisted of swimmers, both young and old, from all schools that included both the public and the private schools.

Haley hadn't really paid attention to her daughter's talent for swimming before because what she did know was, Zoé loved swimming but that all changed when she saw her six year old daughter swim as fast as a fish.

She had never been so proud. "Really?" she brought Zoé down to her feet and kissed her cheek. "Well that means we have to get you ready for summer…"

"But I'm nervous,"

"That's a first,"

"I know!" Haley chuckled. Her children's arrogance was worse than the person they had gotten it from. "Margot Renard was also picked to represent her school," Margot Renard was the best swimmer in Zoé's level and she has been trying to break that record.

"If you work hard…you could be better than Renard," Haley encourage. "But you should also have the spirit of sportsmanship…what I mean is," she said. "You should welcome a challenge in good faith and even if it doesn't go your way, suck it up and move on because the other person worked just as hard,"

"But she's annoying," Zoé said and Haley laughed. She stood up and brushed her daughter's black hair before going to her room. "She's always trying to get the boys attention…"

"No kidding," Haley said because she knew it was true. Though Zoé and Margot didn't go to the same school, they see each other in the exclusive sports gym where Zoé trains. While Zoé was yapping away, Haley changed out of her working clothes and into her towel. "Jamie isn't back from basket ball training yet?"

"Oh I forgot," Zoé gasped. "Jamie is staying over at Grand Papa's because Grand Pére got him a new video game," she said enviously.

Haley looked at her daughter sitting cross legged on her bed and couldn't help the shimmer of warmth that spread through her heart.

"Why don't we have a girls' night…just us two," Haley happiness spread through her face when she saw Zoé brown eyes brighten with excitement. "Then after that…we could watch _Caméra Café_,"

"No Euro sport?"

"No Euro sport,"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Nathan found himself yet again in another red carpet event. This time it was for Peyton who was premiering her new film 'Beautiful Mistake' in LA. It was a romantic comedy flick Peyton had been filming in Venice with up coming actor James McAvoy and it was slated to be a hit. Nathan on the other hand, didn't want to be here but Peyton has been his friend since they were in diapers and she had been there for him in more ways than one.

He almost cringed behind his perfectly played smile when he got out of his Limo and heard the fans screaming his name. He wasn't a movie star or any star but he might as well one tonight because the crowd loved him. He sighed some autographs, took lots of pictures before he preparing himself for the brief interview he must partake in because he was, apparently, Nathan Scott.

"Looking good, Nathan," Debbie Metenopoulos, from the E!, said to Nathan who stood on the E! podium with her. "I was expecting you…"

Nathan smirked and moving his hands smoothly into his trouser pockets. "You did? Oh well at least someone is honest about it," They both laughed. "You're looking great, tonight,"

"Thank you…and you!" She sifted a little so the camera could get a good look at Nathan. "What are you wearing?" she asked.

"Um…tonight I'm wearing Armani…the shoes are actually from my mother's boutique," Oh yes, Deb Scott will definitely be happy that her son made that little advertisement for her already booming shoe shop.

"Really? I heard that it's going good,"

"Um…yeah," He smiled because he was proud of his mother. "She is great at her job…I looked at a design of hers this morning and I was blown away,"

"Aww…that's so sweet," _he knew_. "Now let's get down to business…Peyton Sawyer," Nathan chuckled. "She's amazing, isn't she? You must really envy your brother for getting a woman like her,"

No he didn't. Peyton was an amazing girl but he would rather live a lonely boring life than have what Lucas and Peyton have. Not that his life wasn't lonely and boring already.

"Peyton is a great girl and I've know her since we were in diapers," Peyton's father and Dan weren't good friends but they had been in the same year during the college days. "Lucas is lucky to have her…they are both lucky to have each other,"

"How about a certain Miss Anderson?" Nathan should have known that you could never run away from the tabloid no matter how hard you try. "Is there something there?"

"Okay let me set the record straight…there is nothing going on between Carrie and I," His magazine sold from his bad boy image and the last thing he wanted was to be associated with Carrie Anderson even though she was good in the sac. "I've know Carrie since college and she's great,"

"Okay…if you say so," Debbie and the entire tabloid world knew that there was something going on between Nathan Scott and Carrie Anderson. "Final question…"

"I'm all ears,"

"Are we going to be hearing wedding bells from Lucas and Peyton?"

No. "Um…I don't know…but I see Lucas coming…maybe you could ask him,"

Nathan finally went in to watch the movie after he was grilled with the same questions over and over gain till he wanted to shoot himself. The movie was what he expected it to be…crap. Being the gentle man he was, he knew he had to tell Peyton it was great though she would know other wise. But with the standing ovation the received inside the theatre it was definitely going to be a hit in the cinema.

Nathan wasn't even happy to be at the after party but Peyton was going to be alone if he left and Lucas left while the movie was going on because things were really akward with the both of them.

"Having fun?" he raised his eyes and met a pair of startling green.

Nathan Scott has always considered his best friend a beauty with her blond hair and green eyes. "Why wouldn't I?" he chuckled before Peyton sat next to him and rested her head on his shoulder.

"Because you looking at the fake blond on hills,"

Nathan laughed and kissed her hair. "Your film was great,"

"I know…but you think it's shit," she said with a smile and sipped her champagne. "I didn't see Lucas,"

"He left immediately the movie started," Nathan said before turning his focus on her. "What's going on with you guys?"

Peyton raised her head from Nathan's shoulder and kissed his cheek, causing Nathan to look at her in surprise. "Never fall in love…" _Like he ever would_ "It's just a load of unwanted pain and drama,"

"That's not what you said in the movie," Nathan said and Peyton hit him. He saw her eyes glass over and he really didn't know what to do. "Do you love him?"

She nodded. "Yes but it doesn't feel right anymore," she gulped down her champagne and dropped the glass on the glass table. "My mum and dad fell in love at first sight and even though mum never lived long enough to enjoy…it's still there in dad's eyes any time he talks about her. I loved Lucas the moment I set my eyes on him…"

"Then what's the problem?"

"Maybe it's not enough…"

He took her hands in his. "You and Lucas have been together since I can remember and you have over come so many obstacles…you can't just give that up,"

"I know…but something fizzled out of our relationship. One minute I'm crazy about him and the next I can't stand being with him," she wiped her eyes. "I'm tired…"

"Come on…I'll take you home," Nathan helped her get to her feet and with help of her body guard; she got into the car with the paparazzi hounding her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Haley sat outside her balcony and stared at the lights of Paris in its glory. She had just put Zoé to bed, made sure Jamie and Keith weren't over doing their boy's night and finished looking over a few features for the magazine. It was usually rare to have a quiet night like this one but sometimes it did get only without Jake around.

They would stay all night talking about nothing and everything. She had known Jake since they were in high school and they had decided to go to the same university. They were more than best friends…more than siblings…their bond was untainted and unbreakable. He saved her when her past almost drained the life out of her and she saved him when he though he would die of heart break.

Now he was in Italy…hiding…running away like he always did when his past was brewing near. She closed her eyes when the anger surged through her veins because she had to face her past everyday. Nathan had called twice and she had not called back because…well because she wasn't ready to hear his voice…that deep soothing voice that always sent her heart beating…

No she wasn't ready…but she wasn't running away like Jake.

"Miss James…a phone call," Freddy said as he handed the phone to Haley.

"Thank you, Freddy…goodnight," she placed the phone to her ear and sighed. "I though you weren't going to call," she said softly.

"I miss you,"

"Then come home, Jake," Haley said. "Stop running away,"

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_Please Review_

_Steph!_


	4. Our Past Will Never Be Left Behind

Redemption

_Hey guys!_

_Here's another update…_

_Enjoy!_

**AN: **_If I made silly grammatical mistakes…pls forgive me…_

_And pls pls pls…don't just add me in you favs and alerts (not that I mind). I know it's stressful but I really need your feedbacks because it inspires me to write and also tells me that you are going along with the story…_

4. **Our Past Can Never Be Left Behind**

It was Christmas already much to Haley's delight but the work load was now heavy. She had to review the Christmas and New Year issues, make a shopping list for everyone including the employees, run an inspection on the office with the investors and finally prepare for her trip to America.

Jamie and Zoé had their school games coming up and she couldn't afford to miss either one. Jamie was the youngest player in the primary school basket ball team at just seven though he didn't look his age. He was the best shooting guard in their entire school and their coach had once advised Haley to encourage Jamie to train more. She did consider it and also spoke to Jamie but he had already made up his mind of going to college and working in the family business. Zoé on the other hand loved swimming and she worked hard to become the best in her school.

"I'm taking the children to New York," Keith said as he walked into Haley's office unannounced…like always.

Haley on the other hand didn't bother to look up from the amount of work she had on her desk. "No," she said easily.

Keith rolled his eyes. Really…like he didn't know she was going to say that. "Haley," Haley braced herself because she knew when he droned her name he was trying to sound reasonable…and he always did. "Jamie and Zoé would love it! Look they were really disappointed that they weren't joining you at LA by spring…"

He smiled when Haley's head snapped up. "They never told me,"

"That because they didn't want to come out like brats," Keith grinned at Michel, who had come in to drop more files on Haley's table. "It would be great to have them with me…plus you don't need to worry, I wouldn't run into Nathan,"

Haley eyed him because that was really what she was worried about. "I wasn't worried about Nathan,"

"Sure," Keith said with that irritating smirk on his face. "Just so we're clear…Nathan resides in LA and I'm headed to New York,"

"Still…"

"Nathan is not headed to New York any time soon," Keith said confidently. "I checked…personally,"

Haley didn't even want to know how. "I'll have to speak to the children first,"

"You can do that now," Keith handed his phone to Haley, who wasn't surprise in the least that he would do something so childish. He gave her cheeky grin. "Couldn't help myself,"

Haley eyed him before taking the phone and putting to her ear. "I suppose you all planed this," she said with a smile when she heard her daughter giggle.

"Merci Mama!" Zoé rushed out in excitement. "I promise I will behave…"

"And we promise not to break anything that belongs to the hotel," it was as though Jamié could sense his mother's quirked eye brow and suspicious look. "Well I can't promise not to break anything that belongs to Grand papa,"

She smiled. "Okay," she said with an exaggerated sigh. "You've all over powered me…I'll help you pack when I get back from work,"

"Oh Mama…we've already done that," they both said.

Haley looked at Keith, who in turn looked sheepish. "I thought it would be best we leave tonight,"

Haley dropped her pen quite loudly. "Are you serious?"

"But I though you said you were okay with it?" Yes, Keith knew he should have shared that little information with his daughter but being the person that she was, he knew she would never go for it.

"I was okay with it when I thought you and the kids would be leaving tomorrow!" sometimes Haley wondered who gave her more head aches than necessary; the kids, Keith or Jake.

"Please Mama…we'll be home before you know it,"

"Haley, we are just leaving for two days,"

She knew the only reason she was stubborn was that fact that aside from Freddy, the apartment would be boring and lonely. It would be weird coming back and not seeing them like she always did.

And she was right.

The moment she stepped into her apartment, the void came crashing down and it didn't feel right. The silence in the entire house was overwhelming and she made a self note not to ever let Keith talk her out of letting her children out of her sight.

She had just gotten off the phone with them and they sounded so excited that she cried after the call was over. Freddy had comforted her with a glass of red wine and her favourite TV show…usually it would have been chocolate but Haley had an interview with a British magazine. She didn't need the extra weight…at least not yet.

Haley picked up the phone besides her on the couch and smiled when she saw the caller.

"You haven't called him, have you?"

She closed her eyes for a moment to let the question sink in. "Jake, How's Croatia these days?"

"Don't change the topic, Haley," Jake scolded mildly. "You have to call Nathan…it's business…you don't need to add your personal feelings into it,"

"Gee Jake…you're one to talk," she snipped back. "I heard Peyton is going to promote her new flick in Italy," she knew she was hitting hard but Jake had done it first. "You know, If I wasn't sure…I'll say that's the reason you left Italy for Croatia,"

"I always knew there was a bitch in you somewhere, Hales," it may sound lightly in most people's ears but Haley knew where ever he was, she had struck a nerve.

"I'll call Nathan when I'm good and ready," she said. "And I'll also appreciate it if you stop being a damn hypocrite," she heard him give out a cold chuckle and frowned. "What's so funny? We're having a fight here,"

"Exactly," That's how easy it was for them to revert back to their old ways. "I just don't want him to stop you from doing what you want?"

"I'm going back to the States soon and there'll be no avoiding him," and she was dreading the thought of not having Jake with her. She gave out a shaky breath after a brief pause. "I'm so scared,"

"So am I…for you," he said before a laugh escaped his lips. "God, I can't remember the last time we've been so scared, can you?"

She smiled. "Yes," it was still fresh in her mind because it was the time their world started falling apart. "It was the day we fell in love," _with the wrong people_. But that part needn't be said out loud because they both knew.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Manhattan, New York…_

_10:00am_

Keith knew he was taking a huge and dangerous risk but he also knew it had to be done. Haley would be scared and angry if she ever gets to find out and he knew he could handle it. What he couldn't handle was the thought of his grand children not knowing their father. He had been the one to tell them that Nathan hadn't wanted them at the time because he was…well selfish and having them would have been an inconvenience. He didn't mean for it sound harsh but they were quite mature for their age and they showed a great deal of strength when it came to taking responsibility. There was no other way for them to sugar-cot the truth and they were all tired of lying.

Before they came to know about Nathan, they idolised him. Nathan inspired Jamié to play basketball to the point that Jamié started imitating Nathan's moves while Zoé on the other hand, fell head over hills in love with Nathan. She had once swore that she was going to marry him no matter what it cost and Keith had to deal with the pain in Haley's eyes each time her children made such admissions.

They were only six years old when it happened. At first they hadn't believed Nathan Scott was their father until Haley showed them an old photograph she had taken with Nathan in his beach house at Tree Hill. It had been hard on all of them when they finally came clean with the children. Jamié was mad that the man he worshipped was the same man that gave him up for the career he loved him for in the first place while Zoé was left in denial because the Nathan Scott she watched on TV would never choose his career over his children…it just wasn't possible.

Haley didn't bother to tell the children how much loving Nathan had cost her because that part wasn't their business, it was hers. But unknown to her, each time she spoke about him, they saw the hurt and that didn't help matters at all.

Now he was staring out of his 1.7 million dollar apartment building, looking out into the best scenery Manhattan had to offer. He would be expecting the children any minute and he knew the next step would be hard.

"Grand papa!" he heard their voices from the living room and came out to see them with their nanny, Elise, who accompanied them whenever they travelled outside France. "Manhattan is beautiful," Zoé said with an excitement that warmed his heart when she jumped into his arms. He eyed Jamié who was looking enviously at Zoé because he wanted to be carried by Keith but he thought himself a man…and men don't do such things…at least he thought so.

Keith smirked. "I know…that's why I brought you here,"

"Can we spend Christmas here?" Jamié asked as he stared out of the apartment window and feasted his eyes on the scenery before him. "I know Mama would be difficult but I'm sure we could convince her,"

"Yes Grand papa," Zoé agreed. "I'm sure we could,"

"Well…we'll talk about that when the time is right," he shifted Zoé to his other arm and turned to Elise. "Thank you, Elise…that would be all for now,"

"Very well sir,"

"I had a wonderful time today, Elise," Jamie said with a cheeky grin and kissed the back of her hand. "You've made America quite bearably for me," Keith beamed with pride at his grandson who was perfecting the Scott charm over women.

Elise on the other hand knew when a dangerous boy like Jamié James was born because she could only pray that God could protect the women from his charm.

She smiled. "You will not get me with your charms, Master James," for God's sake he was only seven years of age…what on earth would happen when he turned into a full blown teenager? "Goodbye Miss James,"

"Au revior, Elise," when Elise left she turned to her brother. "You disgust me,"

"Yes I do…but not other women," he said before he and Keith shared a laugh.

Keith decided to settle in the living room since it was the most conducive place to have the sort of conversation he was going to have with them.

"What's wrong Grand papa?" Jamié asked when they were sited in front of him. "Is it Mama?"

Keith shook his head. "No…your Mama is fine," he really didn't know where to start. "Remember when I told you I had an early Christmas present for you guys?"

"Qui,"

"Well what if I told you that the early present is seeing your father?" he saw the shock in their eyes before it turned into confusion…and that, he expected.

"Does Papa know?" Zoé asked with hope but it vanished when Keith shook his head. "Then how are we supposed to meet him?"

"I have a plan and I have briefed Elise on it…"

"Why do we have to see him?" Jamié asked angrily. Nathan didn't care about them so why the hell should he? "Does Mama know you're doing this?"

"Jamié…"

"We don't want to see him," Jamié snapped but recoiled when he saw the look in Keith's eyes.

"This is not about you, Jamié," Keith said as lightly as he could. "Your sister has the right to do want she wants just as you do," and Keith saw how much Zoé was trying to hide her feelings from Jamié and Haley…she was the main reason he was doing this. "If you don't want to see your father that's fine but don't ever force a decision on your sister ever again…do I make myself clear?"

"Yes sir,"

"What's it going to be?"

There was a pause before anyone spoke again. "I want to see Papa," Zoé said quietly. "And I know Jamié wants to see Papa too…but he has that stupid pride of his…" The Scotts did.

"Is he here in New York?" Jamié asked

"No…he's in LA," Keith said. "Elise will escort you to LA tomorrow morning and she'll also be with you when you get to SM Magazines,"

"We're going to Papa's office?" Zoé asked. "How?"

"Now that's a brilliant question," Keith beamed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Los Angeles…_

Nathan wasn't actually having a good day because he just learnt that the magazine has dropped another one percent in subscriptions, he found pictures of himself scattered on every tabloid magazine in the world with Carrie…much to his annoyance and now Gemma just notified him that he would be spending a whole day with a bunch of brats.

Really!

He knew it was a bad idea when he made that suggestion in the first place. A week ago, he and his publicist thought it would be a good idea for him to show his caring side by spending an entire day, though supervised, with any child across America who gets the answer to his question on the magazine. Though this was for good publicity, he also made the magazine the highest sold out issue of that week for the zillionth time.

Apparently two children had won and now he was doomed to an entire day with them. Nathan Scott has faced so many things but this was one of those challenges he'd rather leave be.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Paris…_

"I'm sorry I'm late," Haley said while shaking the hands of the journalist who was holding the interview. Times Magazine had called her two weeks before Christmas stating that they wanted an interview with her and Haley knew it would generate more publicity for the magazine in England.

"It's no problem…I'm Colleen Peterborough," she was a pretty woman with blond hair and brown eyes. "It's actually an honour to meet an exceptional woman like you,"

Haley smiled warmly at her before they sat in front of each other. "Well thank you," even though she had heard that compliment most times, it always sounded new to her. "So…is it okay if we do this here? I've been so swamped with work…"

"It's great here…your office is quite the conducive area," Colleen said as she brought out her tape recorder, a note pad and pen. "You said you would be okay with any question being asked,"

"Yes," She really had nothing big to hide only the fact her children was fathered by one of the most powerful man in the world. "I'm pretty opened to question that I'm ready to answer,"

"Well that's good enough…okay! Let get this started," they laughed a bit before she started recording. "I've done a bit of a research on you and I found out that you graduated from Tree Hill University…"

"Yes I did…I lost my parents when I was a teenager and I lived with my aunt for a while…I pretty much did all my education in Tree Hill because…well I guess I wanted to be close to my parents…"

"You also became valedictorian at both THH and THU," Haley chuckled humbly. "You were pretty smart!"

'I know!" Her intelligence did actually make her a renowned geek. "I was a total dork in school and I know that's cliché but it's true…college was horrible…what with me being pregnant and stuff…"

"You had to jungle being a single mother at twenty-two and also have a hectic job as Keith Scott's secretary…how on earth did you do it?"

One word…God. "Well I prayed a lot…to God," Colleen laughed because it was rare hearing that from a celebrity. "Um…I just had to be determined because it's not only me anymore, you know…I had help from Keith and Jake…my best friend…it wasn't easy but with the grace of God, I got there…"

"You've also mentioned so many times that you have a strong belief in God,"

"Yes I do…when I was in doubt and trouble…he saved me,"

They went on to talk more on Haley's past and future plans. Haley has always had a good rapport with the reporters, especially the paparazzi. She has become an important figure among the French and she had gained respect than most prominent people. Haley spoke about her relationship with Keith and though she really didn't like talking about her children, they were always brought up during conversations.

The interview has been going on for over half an hour. "Okay finally…there's a rumour going on that KHS is having a tug of war over with SM because you plan to expand the magazine over to the states,"

"Um…I didn't know that," she laughed with Colleen. "I haven't actually spoken to anyone from SM," _she has just kept avoiding doing so_ "But I assure you that there is no drama between KHS and SM.

Colleen turned off the tape and shook Haley's hand again. "It's been a pleasure,"

"Like wise,"

Michel walked in as Colleen was leaving. "Mr Scott on line one," she watched Haley's feature pale like it always did each time she called that name. "I could tell him you're not in,"

"No," she couldn't keep running away…sooner or later, they would have to face the music. "Put him through," Michel nodded and shut the door behind her. Haley walked back to her desk, took a breath and sat down. She had to prepare for herself for Nathan…it had been eight years and counting. When she was ready, she picked up the phone. "Good day, Mr Scott," and when she heard his voice, she sighed disappointedly at herself because her heart just skipped a beat.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Nathan smirked when he heard her voice. He didn't know why but after waiting a week to have a conversation with one of the leading women in the world, it mysteriously felt good to finally speak to her.

"Good day, Miss James," he also realised her voice was clipped and cold. "You must think I have been phone stalking you for a week now," but he was Nathan Scott and he always had his way with all women…always.

Haley James on the other hand knew that. She rolled her eyes with the thought that the arrogant ass hadn't really changed in the least. "It's no problem…how may I help you?"

Nathan raised an eyebrow at her direct question, which automatically leaves no pace for flirtations. "I saw your press release and I though congratulations were in order," and maybe he could make an early invitation to dinner. "Rumours have been going haywire over SM and KHS,"

Haley knew that something was brewing in that dark mind of his and she wasn't going to be a victim again. "Thank you…I heard that SM think of KHS as rivals," she wasn't surprised when she heard that cynical laugh of his. "That was my reaction when it first reached my ears,"

Nathan frowned. "How do you mean?"

"Well Mr Scott," she let a smile grace her lips. "If I spent a whole day thinking about SM as my rival, I wouldn't be where I am today," and she knew she hit a nerve.

Nathan features became cold. "Well…I've heard you're a go-get woman,"

"I learnt that from your uncle," Ah yes…one way to get Nathan Scott in a bad mood was to mention Keith.

Nathan sat up from his swivel chair and loosened his tie. This was not the way he imagined the conversation with her. "Yes I guessed…you seem to have a good relationship with Keith," he had a nagging feeling she was smiling and it annoyed him.

And indeed, she was smiling…quite smugly. "You think I'm sleeping with your uncle…"

"I didn't…"

"Don't worry about it," somehow talking to Nathan wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. "I know you're sleeping with Carrie Anderson,"

Despite himself he smiled…a genuine smile. "Got proof?" somehow he knew if she did have proof she wouldn't rat him out.

"Na," she chuckled softly and Nathan felt something at the sound. "But I know," she did because she knew Nathan…like the back of her hand. Plus it was getting strangely easy talking to him. "I have to go now…"

"Really," he stated more than asked because he couldn't believe he was disappointed. "Well I'll be expecting you in LA next year,"

It was a shame that his charm couldn't win her over. "I hope I would have the time to meet you but thank you…have a good day, Mr Scott,"

"Um…" but she had already hung up and Nathan hated feeling stupid and embarrassed.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

"Haley calm down," Jake really found it hard to keep himself from laughing. "So you finally spoke to Nathan Scott,"

"It's not funny," she huffed as she dropped her work bags on her couch and waved at Freddy. She sat down and kicked off her shoes. "It was weird though…"

"What is?"

"It's just that…I thought it was going to be awkward…but it wasn't,"

Jake smiled. "Well he doesn't remember who you are," She wasn't part of his world he remembered. "Are you disappointed?"

She sighed. Disappointment wouldn't be the word she would use…more like relieved. "Are you still in Croatia?"

He paused for a minute. "No. I'm back in Italy…Peyton cancelled so it's just going to be McAvoy here,"

"Jake…"

"Don't start Haley, okay?" it's been ten years and it still hurt…like hell. "Just don't…just…" he took a deep breath and let it out. "I watched her movie…couldn't help myself,"

"I heard it was a hit,"

"It was a piece of crap," because he knew Peyton Sawyer and her belief in love was muddled with bullshit…unlike the character she played in her movie. He guessed that's why she was an Oscar winning actress. "I preferred her in the last Bond flick…"

She snorted quite unladylike. "I'm sure you did,"

"Guess who I saw when I got to Italy,"

"Sorry…haven't got the energy,"

Jake chuckled. "Brooke Davis," he smiled when he heard Haley gasp. "Yeah, that's how I felt…except for the gasping part,"

"How was she?"

"She was hot,"

"Jake…"

He sighed with a smile. "Nothing happened Haley…"

"Nothing didn't stop you from sleeping with her,"

"Haley, we were hurt and I can guarantee you that we had the decency to feel awkward the moment we set eyes on each other," he paused. "She seemed happy,"

"And I wish someone could learn from that,"

Jake laughed. "Good night, Hales,"

"Love you,"

"Love you too, babe,"

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Manhattan, New York_

Keith looked at his grand children and he knew they would succeed. He had gone over the plan with them and they had rehearsed even though it was a very short period of time…Jamié and Zoé were determined to get through their mission.

So here they were at the airport and saying goodbye to their grand father.

"Are you guys ready for this?" they nodded and smiled up at him. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to,"

"No!" Zoé almost screamed. "We want to see papa,"

"Well then…go get on that plane," he hugged them again before they began walking away from him. "Hey!" he called after them and they turned around. "Take care of yourselves," Keith wanted so desperately, as he watched them disappear through the crowd, to stop them from going any further but his legs wouldn't move.

This had to be done.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Los Angeles_

Zoé stared out the plane window before she felt a hand cover hers on the arm chair. She turned and looked into Jamié's eyes…to see that he was also scared and then she realised that she had been selfish.

Ever since they were born, he had always been the one looking after her. He always had to swallow his emotion just to comfort her…to protect her but today was different. They were going to see their father…a man that had abandoned them for a career that didn't last very long.

"I'm scared I'm going to call him Papa," she whispered to Jamié who squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Are you scared you'd do the same thing?"

"No," he grounded out immediately. He had to live everyday knowing he wasn't wanted by a man he had worshipped. He knew Zoé still considered him a part of her life but not to him. "We'll just do what Grand Papa said and it will be over before we know it," he saw the disappointment in her eyes and sighed sadly. "I'm sure we'll have a little bit of fun,"

"Really?"

He smiled. "Yeah…really,"

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

_Los Angeles…_

Nathan looked at his reflection at the mirror as he popped up his collar to redo his tie. The morning had been hectic but it didn't mean it has ever stopped him from fulfilling his mission. In an hour's time, he was going to have a whole day with two kids from Boston and hopefully he wouldn't kill himself by the time it was over.

It wasn't that Nathan hated children, not that he liked them either, it was just that, he never saw himself with children. To him they were little nuisance to life and should never have been born. His mother had always reminded him that he himself used to be a child and he had resorted by telling her 'Well see how well my life's turned out,' and this was always said in a sarcastic tone.

But it wasn't going to be bad because Chase was joining him; this way he had someone to share his pain with him. After putting on his suit, he asked Gemma to get his car ready and called Chase to make sure he was coming…it wouldn't be the first time he bailed on him.

He was supposed to meet the children at the Royal's Hotel that belonged to his grand father. It was one of the best Hotels in LA and he was quite proud to be part of it. He was glad that Chase was already waiting at the lounge when he came in.

"Took you long enough," Chase said as he walked by Nathan's side to the private room Nathan had arranged for the meeting with the children and their nanny. "I can't believe you were willing to make two little kids wait up for you,"

Nathan sighed arrogantly as he nodded his head stiffly at the employees that greeted him. "They should wait," he said snidely. "They are here to see me after all,"

Chase shook his head and chuckled. "Who made you cold?"

Nathan didn't have time to answer when he entered the large room and found out that it was actually him that would be doing the waiting.

"What the hell do you mean they got held up?" it was almost insulting…no, it was insulting to Nathan Scott to have a bunch of seven year olds keeping him waiting. His father couldn't even keep him waiting. "Marvin, get the car…"

"Nathan…" Leo Presada, Nathan's publicist tried to calm him down. Leo has worked for Nathan for over five years and has come to know that Nathan Scott is not to be trifled with. "Listen, these kids have been dying to meet you, okay? And if you cancel this…the so-called publicity would be a totally bust up,"

"I don't give a crap," he said carelessly and they all knew he really didn't. "If I knew this was how I was going to waste my time today…I wouldn't have sighed up for this," to think he had cancelled a meeting with potential investors only to be left looking stupid by a bunch of…

"Don't even think it," Chase scolded. He knew Nathan didn't find children worthy but he usually got angry at his best friend's ignorance. "They are just children and there's no need to lay your frustrations on them,"

Nathan chuckled. "Don't be foolish, Chase…they are not worth my frustration," he just hated the fact that he was losing time on the day. Then his attention was focused on the door when the manager came in. "Yes Collins?"

"Mr Scott…the children are here," he said

Nathan slipped his hands into his pockets out of habit when he wanted to look intimidating. "Well what are you waiting for? Bring them in!" Nathan ignored Chase and Leo, who were warning him to watch what he says to them. But he wasn't one to be warned because he was going to make sure the children knew how much of his time they had wasted.

Just as the doors opened, Nathan walked to the middle of the room, with his hands still in his pockets, and waited for the children to come through.

"Mr Scott…this is Edward and Anna Anderson," two pairs of eyes, one pair of blue and the other brown, collided with the coldest blue eyes they have ever seen.

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_Please Review!_

_Steph!_


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